Look After You
by a-serious-piggy-back4
Summary: Daryl and Beth get separated from the rest of the group after the events at the farmhouse and they struggle to find common ground, but will they end up finding exactly what they need in each other?
1. Chapter 1

One more night of listening to her cry just might make Daryl snap. So far he had done his job in taking care of the girl, but even he knew he was being cold towards her. Beth was weak and he needed to know he was with someone who could help hold their own in a fight. In the week since they had to leave the farm they had only ran into a handful of walkers and Daryl had taken care of them all.

"I'm sorry," Beth rolled over as she spoke, "I know I am probably the last person you would have picked to end up with."

He was taken by surprise. Daryl barely had the people skills to deal with passing conversations on a good day, but an apology from a girl he could barely stand really left him with nothing to say.

"Are you even listening to me? You've barely said a word to me all week. It's the end of the world. We can't just sit here, we have to do something," she looked exasperated when he had nothing to say in return, but took it as a cue to continue, "I'm going to go out. I've got to look for the others, or find food or something besides sitting in this suck ass camp."

Daryl sat wordlessly as she got up and stormed off. What the hell was wrong with Beth? Didn't she understand how to survive? They needed to stay together in order to get through this. Running off at the drop of a hat just because she was bored would get them both killed. He threw down the water bottle he had been holding and grabbed his crossbow and reluctantly began tracking Beth's footprints through the woods. Not that he needed the tracks; he could still hear her sloppy movements up ahead of him.

She was useless to have around. He hadn't seen her even try to fight for her life even once. She had even gone so far as to try to end her life back at the farm when he had first met her. It was hard enough to keep yourself alive these days, let alone keep someone alive who showed no interest in living herself.

What the hell was wrong with him anyway? Did he feel nothing? Did nothing that happened just a week ago have any effect on him at all? He was probably too much of a hard ass to even care about the people that may have died or that they will never see again. Of all the people she could have escaped with it had to be him. She knew he probably gave her the best chance of surviving another day, but someone friendly wouldn't hurt either.

She was still angrily storming away from the camp when she suddenly ran into the middle of three walkers.

"Shit," she mumbled under her breath as she reached to get her knife off her belt. Fighting had never been her strong suit, but she was getting better out of sheer necessity.

The first two walkers went down fairly easy. The third walker, however, was nearly a foot taller than Beth and, even dead, was probably was double her strength. She tried to hit him in the back of the legs to knock him down more to her size, but instead she got tangled and they both crashed to the ground. She was struggling to avoid his open jaws when the sickening sound of a bolt piercing flesh above her made the walker go limp.

Daryl had the walker off of her before she had time to react, but there was still a small blood stain down the front of her shirt.

"Thanks," she mumbled, but he was already out of earshot, stalking back through the woods, as silently as he had come, in the direction of their camp.

Beth reluctantly followed him back through the woods, realizing that she probably wouldn't get very far without him seeing as she couldn't track and had no idea where they were out in the woods.

"We have to find somewhere more secure to stay. We can't keep camping out. It will be g cold soon," Daryl talked to Beth over his shoulder as they made their way through the woods. It had been almost three weeks since the farm was over run and winter was coming early this year so camping out wasn't going to work much longer.

"Are you thinking we try to go back into town?" Beth answered and Daryl could tell she was getting out of breath trying to keep up with his break neck pace through the woods. He knew they needed to be moving quickly, but he slowed his pace just enough for her to keep up with him.

"No were too likely to run into large groups in town with the weather like this and we don't know what kind of people we would be dealing with. And the more people the more walkers would be there anyway. We should be able to find an old huntin' cabin or something far enough out in the woods that we should be safe for a while."

Staying walled up in a tiny cabin with Beth all winter wasn't his favorite plan, but it was the best one he had come up with so far. Going back to try to find the rest of the group would be ideal, but the risk of running into more trouble was too great. And who knows how far they could have gone by now, or if they even survived the fall. Hiding out in the woods was the safest way to spend the winter.

Beth felt like they had been walking for hours. Not just walking, Daryl had been going at a pace that was more of a jog for her and she knew she couldn't keep that pace much longer. They hadn't seen much of anything while they had been traveling. Daryl had taken down a couple of squirrels early on and one walker who was trapped under a fallen tree.

Beth wasn't sure how much time had passed when Daryl stopped and let Beth catch up.

"See that?" Daryl pointed off in front of them, but as far as Beth could tell it was just more woods.

"All I see are more trees," Beth spat back at him. She was too tired for guessing games.

"A chimney. About half a mile out. We'll be there soon," Daryl said then started off through the woods with Beth jogging along behind towards the chimney she wasn't even sure existed.


	2. Chapter 2

Beth couldn't pretend she wasn't surprised when they finally came upon the tiny cabin in the middle of a small clearing. She wasn't sure how he had noticed the tiny chimney from as far away as they had been. It wasn't a lot to look at on the outside but it was big enough and looked secure. There was a small porch on the front, which would make putting up a perimeter alarm a little easier.

Daryl signaled to Beth to stop a little way back from the porch so he could take care of any walkers without her getting in the way. He banged on the door with his free hand while holding his knife ready in the other. Even at a distance Beth could hear the moaning begin from inside. A walker hoping to catch their next meal. After a minute Daryl opened the door and stepped back letting the male walker amble out of the cabin and right into his knife. After he took the walker down Daryl stepped into the cabin to check it out. After a few minutes, he returned and slung the dead walker over his shoulder to take out to the woods.

"Go on in and start looking around for anything useful," he barked at Beth as he brushed past her and headed back into the forest from the way they came.

Beth tentatively walked into the cabin and started looking around. It was small, but it had a good sized fire place and a small table with two chairs. She also noticed the open closet was stocked with plenty of clothes, a lot of which looked warm and in the back of the cabin was a full sized bed. Just one bed, Beth wondered how that would play out later. The kitchen seemed to be pretty well stocked with canned goods, which was good since game wasn't always easy to come by once it started to get cold.

Daryl came back into the cabin about the time Beth was stacking the last of the cans of food.

"There are about thirty cans in here. Mostly fruit, but some vegetables too," Beth excitedly told Daryl while handing him up a can of peaches. He took them and nodded, which was about as friendly as they seemed to get. If he couldn't even have an actual conversation what was going to happen with Daryl realized there was only one bed in the tiny cabin?

The first thing Daryl had noticed after killing the walker was that there was only one bed in their new home. They had been traveling and sleeping outside for a few weeks now and he wanted nothing more than to take the bed and tell Beth to figure something else out, but he knew he would never do that. The second he allowed Beth to hop on his motorcycle with him and escape the farm he knew he was going to take care of her, no matter how hard it was on his nerves. Daryl had a rough start and he knew people looked at him as the callous redneck, but that didn't mean he didn't care about anything or didn't have manners. Still, he didn't really feel like sleeping on the wooden floor after weeks of sleeping on dirt. Maybe he could convince her that they should take shifts on lookout even though he was pretty sure he could fortify the cabin enough to be secure.

After dumping the walker in the woods a safe distance away from the cabin Daryl pulled out his pack of smokes. He needed a good hit of nicotine before going back to Beth. It wasn't that he really hated her or anything. He just wasn't good at having someone rely on him or need him so much to survive. Being self-sufficient was all he knew so her weakness bothered him.

He took one last drag on his cigarette before he flicked it off to the side and pushed himself up off the ground. On the way in he grabbed an arm full of firewood from the pile out back, some to board up the windows and some to start a fire. He walked inside to find Beth on the floor stacking canned goods. At least they would have food here.

"There are about thirty cans in here. Mostly fruit, but some vegetables too," Beth smiled excitedly up at him like a little kid who had just found a stash of candy. That was the other thing that irked him about Beth. She was so young and naive about the horrible situation they were in. How could she still be so happy?

He grunted and kept walking to the table to take off his boots and remove most of his weapons before He started working on the windows. He was going to have to find a way to get along with Beth or being trapped in such a small room was going to drive him insane.

"Um…want to help with the windows?" Daryl was pretty sure he saw Beth jump when she started talking to her, but she nodded and took the wood and hammer from him anyway. He watched as she started trying to nail the board across the window. Her hand looked so tiny as it wrapped around the hammer. He almost laughed out loud when she went to hit the nail and missed by a good two inches.

He must have let out a sound because she whipped around and shot a look that could have killed him.

"Well if you think you could do better get over here and help me," she shot at him and handed over the hammer. He walked over and took it from her as she stepped to the side, still holding the board in place. He grabbed a nail and went to work getting the board in place. They were standing so close they were almost touching, a fact that Daryl was confused to find himself focusing on. He just wasn't used to people getting that close.

"I could have done it eventually. I'm not totally useless," Beth pouted from beside him.

He almost smirked as he looked down at her, "I never said you were useless. Just figured you were more useful without any smashed fingers."

She continued to look pouty as he finished the first window and they moved on to the next.

"Here you do this one. I'll hold the nail," he handed her the hammer, knowing this could go terribly wrong. His fingers were even more valuable not smashed.

"You sure?" she almost looked giddy as she took the hammer and aimed. She stuck her tongue out as she concentrated and furrowed her brow. She swung the hammer back and he flinched expecting her to land on his hand, but he opened his eyes when he heard the distinct metal on metal sound and then Beth let out a squeal.

"I did it!" again she looked like an over excited kid, but he put on a small smile for her sake. She finished the nail painfully slow and moved on to the next one, taking way more time than it should have.

He watched her as she finished off each nail in the board. She was so genuinely happy over something so small it made him sad. Had he ever felt as carefree and happy as Beth seemed to? He doubted it. They had walked very different paths in life, hers sheltered and easy, his the exact opposite. Living day to day and working to survive was nothing new to him. Hell life after the fall of civilization may even be easy compared to the abuse he had suffered when he was younger.

Beth broke him out of his self-pity party by touching his arm. He flinched away before he realized what was happening.

"I was…um…just going to let you do the rest. You're probably faster," she bit down on her lower lip after she had choked out all of the words. He knew he intimidated her, and he didn't mean to, he just wasn't used to having someone so comfortable invading his space. Most people shied away from him. It was almost unnerving that she didn't.

"You can finish these if you want," Beth held out the hammer to him, but Daryl was obviously not paying any attention to her. She reached out and touched his arm to get his attention and he jumped back as if she were a walker going to bite him.

"I was…um…just going to let you do the rest. You're probably faster," she couldn't figure out why he made her so nervous. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, she had been around him too long for that to still be an issue, but he still had a way about him that unnerved her.

"Thanks," he grumbled as he grabbed another board to finish off the window, "I don't think I got enough would for all four windows anyway. See if you can find some matches and we can get a fire going. You can do that right?"

"Yes," she tried not to take offense when he assumed she was stupid. She had almost gotten herself bitten by a walker a few days earlier then almost lost a finger in a battle with a hammer not thirty minutes before, so she didn't have the best track record with being useful.

She watched Daryl as he worked. He was so strong; it was evident in the way his muscles moved as he swung the hammer back and forth. Maybe that's why she still found her heart skipping when he was too close or when he was piercing her with his icy blue stare. She just couldn't figure him out.

Once she had the fire going and the windows were boarded up they started in on dinner, a can of peaches each, which seemed like a delicacy after living on wild berries and whatever meat Daryl could catch.

"Will you tell me something?" Beth felt stupid as soon as the question fell off of her lips, but it was too late now. He looked up and nodded slightly, the only indication he was paying attention. "Why are you always so…" she couldn't find the right word. He wasn't mean but he wasn't cuddly either, "…grouchy? We're going to be stuck together for a while so we might as well be friends."

Daryl really didn't know how to answer her question. He was "grouchy" because he had to be. That's how you survived in a world like this. Being friends didn't matter when your life was always at stake, but she was right that they were going to be trapped together for a while so he could try to lighten up.

"I'm not grouchy. I just don't see a reason to run around shooting sunshine and rainbows out my ass in a world where I may not see tomorrow," that was the best response he could give her.

She just nodded at him in response. He fished the last peach out of the can and swallowed it before he got up to gather blankets and pillows. It looked like he would be taking the floor. He rummaged around the cabin looking for extra blankets. There were none in the closet or under the bed and there was only one blanket on the bed. Who the hell didn't keep extra blankets? It was way too cold to sleep on the floor without one.

Daryl ran his hand through his hair when he realized that the one bed was about to become their bed. He had never shared a bed with a woman before. He had had sex, but never hung around for snuggles afterwards.

Beth cleared her throat as she brushed past him and walked over to the bed. She had apparently come to the same conclusion that he had.

"I don't mind sharing if you don't. At least we'll stay warm," she looked so small and awkward sitting on the side of the bed, her eyes not leaving the floor.

He walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down. This was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors note: I know I have posted a lot all at once. This is snow day number 3 so I've had plenty of time to write! I'm going to try to get ahead on the writing so even when I get busy again I have chapters to post. I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read this and I've had some unexpectedly nice reviews! This is the first story I've put out there for people to read so I hope you continue to enjoy!**

Beth wasn't sure what she expected sharing a bed with Daryl Dixon. She had never shared a bed with anyone besides her family and friends during sleep overs, never with a grown man. Nothing could have prepared her to wake up tangled up in his arms feeling a little overheated from their contact. She tried to be still and not wake him; she just wanted to watch him, she had never been close enough to see Daryl like this and he was usually the first one up anyway. He looked so much younger when he was asleep. So much more peaceful than the man she was used to seeing storming around scowling like he hated everything. She realized that he was actually quite beautiful with his long eyelashes and his hair tousled from sleep.

The thought startled her. It had popped into her head without her control. She couldn't be thinking things like that about Daryl. He was there to look after her and that was it. He didn't even like her. He was probably already tired of having a kid follow him around. The only reason she woke up wrapped in his arms is because he was asleep. Probably just the cold or just a normal response to having someone else sleeping that close by, like cuddling with a pillow if you were in the bed alone.

Suddenly it was too hot and she needed space. Beth started wiggling trying to get free without waking Daryl, but as she slipped one of his arms off of her side his eyes shot open and she froze when his gaze caught hers. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, it couldn't have been more than a few seconds, but his eyes were impossibly blue and held her in place. All at once he shot away from her quickly out of the bed.

"Sorry!" she practically screamed at him as he stood there just staring at her, "I didn't mean to wake you…I was…it was just getting hot. I mean I was getting hot. It's warm in here." She knew she was stammering like an idiot, but once she got started she just couldn't stop the onslaught of words. He stormed off towards the door before she could apologize again.

"I'll start breakfast," she called out at his back as the door closed behind him. She wasn't sure what she had done to make him leave so quickly. He was the one holding on to her after all.

Daryl woke up with a start when he felt Beth wiggling up against him. He opened his eyes to find her staring at him, wide eyed, like a frightened baby deer. What was going on? He couldn't figure out how they had become so intertwined during the night. He had never woken up with a woman in his arms before and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. It felt like he couldn't move with her staring right at him like that. Finally he was able to break the strange trance they had gotten stuck in and he pushed backwards out of the bed as quickly as he could.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to wake you…I was…it was just getting hot. I mean I was getting hot. It's warm in here," she looked so embarrassed and her pale skin turned blood red as she stumbled over her words.

He didn't know what to say or how to reply so he did what he has always done best, he fled. Behind him he could hear her say something about breakfast as he slammed the door and rushed towards the small stream he had spotted yesterday. He just needed to take a walk and clear his head. He couldn't stop thinking about Beth's bright blue eyes as she had stared at him. The feeling made him uneasy. Why did he care about her watching him? She was just scared because he wasn't letting go of her when she woke up and she didn't like him that close. He was suddenly very aware of their difference in age and it made him feel even worse, he had no business sharing a bed with her, especially if he was going to cling on to her in his sleep.

Once he reached the stream he splashed some water on his face and tried, without much success, to clean some of the dirt out from under his finger nails. He sighed and gave up, it's not like it mattered anyway. The trip back to the cabin went much slower, he wasn't in any hurry to get back to his uncomfortable new living situation.

When he opened the door Beth had changed and was sitting at the table over another can of peaches.

"I went ahead and opened some peaches for you. I figured you wouldn't want vegetables for breakfast," Beth looked up at him without any of awkwardness they had shared just a few minutes before.

"Thanks. Sorry I just ran off. Not used to being with someone all the time," it was the closest to sharing something personal about himself Daryl had ever came. It felt strange to be open with someone, but he figured it would have to happen if he ever wanted a peaceful moment during the winter hibernating together.

"It's ok. I'm not really used to it either," Beth looked down and her face flushed crimson for the second time.

He grunted in response; that was enough of their little sharing circle.

They spent the rest of the day cleaning up the cabin and sorting through everything deciding what they could use. Daryl carefully went through all of his weapons making sure each one was clean and that every bolt was in good condition. The cabin was stocked with almost everything they would need and there was the stream close enough by that finding water wouldn't be an issue. They needed extra blankets and some more food to make sure that they wouldn't have to make any big runs once it started to get colder.

That meant a run into a local town. They had only been in the cabin for one night and he doubted that either one of them would be ready to make that far of a trek just yet, but it would need to happen soon. If they were going back into a town he had to know Beth could fight her way out if she needed to, if something happened and he couldn't. They would have to start training to make sure she could actually use her knife if she needed to.

"You need to learn to fight," Daryl's words snapped Beth out of her day dreaming. She had been sorting through clothes and cleaning up the closet and it was the first time either one of them had spoken all day.

"I just want to make sure you can actually use your knife if we get into a bad spot," he took her silence as a cue to keep talking.

"OK," Beth wasn't sure where his sudden concern over her fighting skills came from, but she wasn't going to argue, she knew she needed to become more than dead weight.

Apparently he meant she was going to learn to fight right now because he got up and motioned for her to follow him outside. She grabbed her knife off the table as she walked by and followed Daryl out into the clearing.

It felt like they had been practicing for hours. Daryl would come at Beth and show her how to hold her knife to block his attack. It was obvious from the start that Daryl was annoyed with how bad Beth was at fighting him off.

"Stop flailing around! You can't just sling your arm and hope the knife hits the right spot!" he practically screamed at her as he dove at her for the hundredth time.

"I'm trying Daryl. It's not that easy and I'm getting tired," Beth could hear how whiny she sounded, but she couldn't help it. She was tired of him yelling at her.

"Do you think anyone will stop and ask if you're tired before they attack? Think the walkers give a shit if you're well rested?" Daryl pushed at her just a little too hard and she fell backwards and dropped her knife.

"Stop! I'm done! You're being an asshole. I want to learn, but this isn't helping!" Beth pushed herself up off the ground and shoved passed Daryl. He tried to grab her arm as she went past, but she dodged him and ran up the steps before he could catch up to her again.

She knew he was just trying to help her, but he didn't have to be so harsh about it. When she started to feel tears well up she tried to push them back down, but once they started she couldn't stop them. She had so much to cry for from the past month. The farm was gone, she would probably never see her family again, she had lost everything and she had no one left to care about her.

After Beth made her dramatic exit to the house Daryl took out his cigarettes and sat down on the front steps. What was wrong with her? He was just trying to teach her how to take care of herself. His temper always seemed to get the best of him, even when he was trying hard to be nice.

Why was she getting under his skin so badly and why did he even care if she knew how to take care of herself? She wasn't his problem. He shook his head and took another long drag on his cigarette before heading in to face Beth.

When he walked in she was crying. Tears were not something Daryl had much experience in handling. Standing and staring at her wasn't helping so he walked over and sat down next to her on the bed.

"I'm sorry. I just want you to be able to take care of yourself," where did that come from?

It seemed to help Beth. She looked up at him, still teary eyed, and before he could stop her she leaned in to his shoulder and grabbed on to his vest. Awkwardly Daryl wrapped his arms around Beth to try to comfort her until she was done grieving for all that they had lost.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a week since Beth's outburst after the training incident and it had been all but forgotten. After Daryl let Beth cry all over him they never mentioned it again. They went back to training every day and she could tell she was getting better with the knife. She was beginning to anticipate Daryl's moves and could fend off almost every attack. There was also a noticeable change in the way Daryl talked to her, he

The day before Daryl had mentioned them making a run into the nearest town. He found a map under the bed and had decided on a town just five miles away from their cabin. It was close enough they could get there and back in a day without worrying about spending the night in town.

Beth was dreading leaving the cabin. She was worried about what kind of danger they would find out of the woods, living or dead.

"We should leave soon if we're going to make it there and back today," Daryl was walking around the cabin gathering up his weapons for the run. He grabbed Beth's knife and passed it to her, "You need to always keep this. Stop throwing it around. Put it on your belt."

She took the knife and started undoing her belt to slide the knife in place.

"We will have to walk at first, but I'm hoping we find a workin' car once we hit the road," Beth watched Daryl as he grabbed the last of his bolts and he picked his crossbow up. He nodded back at her as he opened the door, apparently the signal that they were ready to leave.

Beth finished lacing up the too large winter boots she found in the closet and hurried off after him before he left her behind.

"Were you a park ranger?" They had been traveling in silence for the past half hour so the question caught Daryl off guard.

"What?"

"You know before all of …this," she swung her arm around like Vanna White turning a letter on wheel of fortune, "You just really know your way around in the woods and you seem more at home out in the wilderness than you ever did back at the farmhouse. I could just see you being a park ranger."

"I wasn't no park ranger," Daryl didn't mean to sound so gruff when he responded, but what did it matter what he was before? Talking about the past didn't help anyone.

Beth blushed at his snippy response, "I was just trying to start a conversation. You know make time pass a little quicker. I was still in high school. A senior. I was so close to graduating. I worked summers in a book store in town. Nothing special, but I loved it."

"I wasn't anything. I traveled around with Merle. Worked odd jobs, made enough to just get by. I was nobody," Daryl hadn't told anyone else about his past. They already thought he was redneck trash so he didn't feel the need to confirm it.

"That doesn't make you nobody. You're a good person. I know it. If you weren't you would have left me a long time ago," Beth grabbed onto his arm as he spoke and he tensed. He wasn't used to the casual contact that seemed completely normal to Beth.

"We should be getting close to the road," Daryl sped up as he spoke trying to change the subject and get out of her reach. She made him uncomfortable and Daryl Dixon didn't think anyone had ever done that before.

They found a car pretty quickly once they reached the street. It was nothing fast or fancy, but it would get them where they needed. Daryl got in the driver's seat and found that the keys were still in the ignition. Lucky day. Beth got in and started digging through the console looking for anything they might could use as he drove towards the nearest small town.

"'Bout ten more minutes I think," it had been a short car drive. Much faster than they could have made it on foot. Lack of speed limits during the end of the world tended to speed things along when you didn't run into a road block or a herd of walkers.

"OK. Do you have a plan once we get there?"

"We'll hit smaller stores we see first. Big chain stores were probably the first people began looting when the shit hit the fan so I doubt there will be much of use left there. Grab whatever you see that won't expire for a while. Food and blankets are the most important things this trip."

They stayed silent the rest of the trip. Out of the corner of his eye Daryl could see Beth running her hands back and forth over her knife, as if she was making sure it was still where she had placed it on her belt.

They pulled into a small general store. The door was still propped open out front. Daryl parked as close to the door as he could so they could make a quick escape if they needed to. Getting a prime parking spot wasn't really an issue any more.

"Wait here. Let me make sure it's clear then I'll wave for you to come in and start looking for food," Daryl said over his shoulder as he got out of the car and headed toward the store.

He got his knife ready and began banging on the door hoping any walkers inside would be attracted by the sound. He heard nothing from inside so he walked in to get a better look around. The place had been emptied out pretty well, but it looked like people had left some of the canned goods. No wonder there were so many of the dead roaming around people were idiots.

He walked back out front to wave for Beth to come in and stopped in his tracks when he saw the car.

"Damn it Beth," Daryl muttered as he looked at the empty car. Beth was no longer sitting in the passenger seat where he had left her. The door was left open and Beth was nowhere to be seen.

Beth was pulled sharply out of her thoughts when someone tapped on the passenger window. She began opening the door, expecting it to be Daryl on the other side of the glass. A second too late she looked up and was staring into the face of a stranger.

"Scream and I'll kill you now," his voice was harsh as he pulled her door the rest of the way open and yanked her out of the car. She could see the gun in his other hand and knew there was no way she could fight him off with just her knife.

He yanked her around the side of the store that Daryl had just gone into and shoved her against the wall.

"How many were you with?" he growled down at her.

"I'm alone."

"Like hell you are. A pretty little thing like you wouldn't make it out here by yourself," his breath was hot on her face and he was using his body weight to hold her against the wall.

"Please just let me go," she whispered up towards him. His response was a laugh in her face.

"That's not going to happen. You're going to make a great addition to our group. All the guys will love you."

"Let her go," Beth instantly recognized Daryl's voice. It had taken on a dangerous tone. He was standing at the end of the small alleyway with his crossbow aimed right toward her assailant.

"Hold on. I didn't know she belonged to anybody. We can work…" he wasn't able to finish his sentence when a bolt shot from the cross bow and into the side of his neck.

Beth was frozen where she stood. There was some blood splattered down the front of her shirt and the man was now lying on the ground at her feet.

"Come on Beth," Daryl walked over and gently grabbed her arm. He pulled the bolt out of the man's neck and guided Beth out of the alley and back around to the front of the store. "Are you alright?"

Surprisingly Beth was fine. Once she could no longer see the man bleeding in the street she had recovered quickly.

"Yeah it's OK. He would have killed me. You had to," Daryl was still looking down at her as if she would burst into tears again any second. "Really I'm fine let's just finish getting what we need."


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors note: Tomorrow will make my fourth snow day so I've had time to write a ton, which is basically keeping me from going stir crazy. I'm not that crazy about this chapter, but I promise the next one is going to be great!**

Daryl couldn't explain the flash of anger he had felt when he saw Beth being held to the wall by a stranger. It was terrifying, and not much had ever scared Daryl.

"Let her go," Daryl's voice was low and threatening.

"Hold on. I didn't know she belonged to anybody. We can work…" he didn't give the man a chance to finish his sentence. She didn't belong to anyway and for some reason it set him over the edge when he made it seem like Beth belonged to him.

Beth stood wide eyed looking down at the dead body. _Damn it now I've__sent her into shock_, he thought as he slung his crossbow back over his shoulder and started down the alley way.

"Come on Beth. Are you alright?" Daryl gently grabbed her arm and tried to pull her out of the alley way after he grabbed his bloodied bolt.

"Yeah it's OK. He would have killed me. You had to," Daryl was skeptical about that. All the color was still drained from her face, "Really I'm fine let's just finish getting what we need."

Beth pushed past him and went back into the store and started grabbing cans of food. Daryl made sure to keep an eye on her. He didn't want her out of his sight again.

Daryl and Beth went through three more stores in town. With everything that had happened clearing out the town had taken much longer than Daryl expected.

"Beth we're never going to make it back before it gets dark. We're going to need to find somewhere to stay for the night," Beth just nodded back at him. She hadn't had much to say since they had left the first store.

A few miles outside of town they found a small motel. Daryl found a key behind the desk in the main lobby. Luckily it was old enough to still use regular keys instead of the electronic key cards. He picked a room on the second floor and went back out to grab Beth and some of the food. Daryl had grabbed a change of clothes from one of their stops for Beth. She needed to get rid of the bloody clothes.

Daryl went in first and made sure the room was clear then Beth followed in behind him.

"Here take these," he threw the clean clothes on to the bed further from the door.

"Thanks," Beth grabbed them and disappeared into the bathroom.

Luckily there was a tiny window in the bathroom so Beth could see to change. She stripped off the bloody clothes and threw them aside and stepped into the fresh ones. Clean clothes were a surprisingly nice gesture from Daryl. Maybe he didn't hate her after all.

She finished cleaning up and went back out into the main room. They each would have their own bed for the first night since before the cabin, a thought that left Beth feeling weirdly sad. She had gotten used to waking up wrapped in Daryl's arms. She had found herself that way every morning.

Daryl had pushed all the movable furniture up against the door and now was laying in the bed closest to the door with his crossbow next to him.

"Want dinner? I broke into the vending machine down the hall," Daryl said while holding up a handful of junk food.

"That doesn't seem very healthy," Beth laughed as she grabbed a bag of potato chips.

"It'll be fine. Are you sure you're OK? It was close back there," Daryl asked.

"I'm alright. I understand," Daryl was still watching her skeptically, "Really I'm fine."

They sat eating in silence for a few more minutes, but Beth couldn't stand it, "Will you tell me more about you? I mean were going to be stuck together for a while and I don't know anything about you really."

She was pretty sure the sound Daryl made was something like a laugh. "There's not really much to know."

Beth didn't push she was too tired to try to break down all of the walls that Daryl surrounded himself with.

Beth awoke with a start. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep. Daryl was asleep in the other bed calling out in his sleep. He realized he was having a nightmare, but she was afraid he would attract the walker's attention if he kept yelling.

"Daryl!" she tried to wake him, without any success. She had never seen Daryl like this. She knew she had nightmares, but she wouldn't have guessed that Daryl did too.

She climbed out of her bed and wiggled in beside Daryl in his, "Daryl it's OK I'm here."

He didn't wake up, but her presence seemed to work because almost instantly he stopped screaming. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He was holding her a little tight, but she really didn't want to wake him now. How was she supposed to explain why she was in his bed?

_What the hell, _Daryl though when he woke up. Beth was nestled up against him asleep and his arms were wrapped around her waist holding her there. He had gotten used to sharing a bed with her back at the cabin, but she had always woken up first. Did they usually cuddle like this? Why did she get in his bed last night anyway?

Daryl couldn't help but notice how beautiful Beth was. She looked so serene asleep. Her hair was tangled and wild from sleep and waved around her face perfectly. Her skin looked so soft and pale, like porcelain. Daryl had to stop himself from continuing. He had no business looking at Beth like that. The age difference was bad enough, but she seemed intimidated by him most of the time anyway.

"Um sorry…you were dreaming last night I guess…you were yelling and I didn't want you to attract any walkers. You wouldn't wake up, but you stopped when I got in bed," Beth woke him from his daydream he hadn't noticed her wake up. He pushed himself backwards to put some space between the two of them. He didn't like that she had to "save" him from his bad dreams. Daryl had never needed anyone before, but for some reason he wasn't mad. He had a hard time being mad at Beth.

"We need to head back to the cabin," Daryl needed to put a little more distance between him and Beth. What was she doing to him?

Once they made it back to the cabin Beth spent the afternoon unpacking everything from yesterday's haul.

"Daryl what is this?" Beth asked pulling a glass bottle out of one of the bags of supplies.

"I thought since we'd be here a while a little whiskey wouldn't hurt."

Beth nodded and pulled out a second bottle and sat them both on the table. She had a great idea. She needed Daryl to open up to her and what better way to do that than a drinking game? It seemed childish but it was the best idea she had.


	6. Chapter 6

"You've really never played never have I ever?" Beth asked Daryl with mock horror as she grabbed two glasses out of one of the dusty cabinets.

"Never needed a game to get lit," Daryl replied as he sat down at the table and started to open the first bottle of whiskey.

"Well were going to play it now. You just take turns saying something you've never done before and if the other person has done it then they take a drink. Like I've never shot a crossbow so now you drink."

"Not much of a game," Daryl replied as he took a drink of the whiskey.

"It will get better. That was just a practice round," Beth replied and poured herself a glass of the brown liquid.

"Make sure you drink some water with that," Daryl said while tossing their bottle of water across the table.

"Yes sir," she responded sarcastically with a salute to which he responded with a grunt. "It's your turn now."

"I've never been outta Georgia."

"Really? Wow," Beth took a drink while she thought up her next fact. She knew she would have to keep them easy at first so she didn't scare him off. "Never have I ever gotten drunk and done something I regretted."

"Done a lot of things I regret," Daryl drank.

They went back and forth with facts that barely skimmed the surface until Beth started to feel heavy from the alcohol and got brave, "Never have I ever been in a long term relationship."

"Me neither."

"I don't believe that!"

"No one wants to stick around with the asshole redneck," Daryl replied looking down and running his hand through his hair. Is that really how he saw himself? The thought made Beth sad.

"You're not an asshole redneck."

"Hmph. Never have I ever played this game before," Daryl responded quickly trying to change the subject.

"Daryl that's cheating!" Beth complained, but drank anyway. "I haven't ever been in jail like as a prisoner before."

"That's really what you think of me? No I've never been in jail, drink up princess I'm done with this game," Daryl's voice rose as he spoke. Beth knew she had offended him, but she hadn't done it on purpose.

"I haven't ever been in jail," the statement made Daryl freeze. He had actually been enjoying the game until then.

"That's really what you think of me? No I've never been in jail, drink up princess I'm done with this game," Daryl's could feel his anger rising. He wasn't no saint, but that's really how she saw him?

"Daryl no I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to say. I mean even my dad ended up in the drunk tank a few times. I'm just trying to figure you out!" Beth had jumped up from the table and followed him over to the bed where he was now sitting, leaning back against the headboard.

"Why do you care anything about me?" Daryl threw back at her, still mad.

"I just do," Beth replied flushing bright red.

"I already told you I was nothing, nobody."

"Stop saying that!" She surprised him by grabbing his hand, "You were somebody, are somebody. You're a good person. You've put up with me this long so you have to be."

"I don't mind you being here," Daryl admitted. It was probably the nicest thing he had ever said to her. "But I'm not that great. I used to run around with Merle getting drunk and picking fights. I had never shared a bed with anyone before because I could never wait to get out the door after. I'm from a small town white trash family. Crazy mom, dead beat alcoholic for a dad."

Daryl wasn't sure where the admission came from. He didn't like to talk about before, didn't need anyone feeling sorry for him.

"But you're different now. Better."

Daryl just nodded down at her and for some reason he believed her. She made him want to be different.

When Beth grabbed Daryl's hand she wasn't prepared for the shock that ran through her body. His hands were so much bigger than hers and calloused from work. When he told her about his past, feeling like nothing following Merle around, it broke her heart. She had grown up with such a different life and she ached for the broken man next to her. She realized now that he wasn't gruff because he didn't like her being around, something she should have realized the first time she work up with him wrapped around her. He was angry because he thought he had to keep people out to keep from getting hurt.

It was starting to get late so Beth pulled the blankets up around Daryl and herself. The alcohol was still making her fuzzy and brave so she snuggled up against his side and started to doze off. The last thing she remembered before drifting to sleep was Daryl running his fingers through her hair.

Beth woke up feeling colder than usual. Daryl was already up and sitting at the kitchen table with all their water bottles sitting out in front of him.

"Good morning," he nodded towards her when she sat up and he noticed she was awake. "We need to go get some water today. Make sure we keep enough."

She got out of bed and pulled on her boots and a jacket and grabbed as many of the bottles as she could carry and headed out behind Daryl. It was a short walk to the stream and it was a nice day. The air around them felt too still, it was too quiet.

They had filled up most of the bottles in silence when Beth heard the distinct sound of walkers. A lot of walkers.

Daryl noticed at the same time, "Beth run!"

They made it back to the clearing to find it overrun by a herd. Beth pulled out her knife and did her best to kill any walkers between her and the cabin. She looked over to see Daryl surrounded by four walkers. He took down one easily but the other three were way too close for him to kill them all in time.

"Daryl!" Beth's shrill scream echoed as one of the walkers pushed Daryl to the ground.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: This chapter is on the short side, but I really like it! I hope you enjoy it! :)**

Beth get in the house!" Daryl cried out as he struggled to kill the walker on top of him and avoid his teeth. He managed to take out the one pinning him to the ground and he started to scoot backwards trying to get out of reach of the other two walkers.

He started to push himself up to kill the one closest to him when suddenly it fell on top of him, dead. _What the hell_, he thought until he looked up to see Beth plunge her knife into the other walkers head.

"Come on!" she yelled and reached for his hand to pull him up. If they didn't move fast they would be surrounded. There was a steady stream of walkers piling into the clearing around the cabin.

He pushed himself up and ran behind Beth, killing any stray walkers he could reach with his knife along the way. They made it into the house just ahead of a handful of walkers who started pushing on the door once it was shut behind them. Daryl pushed the bed until it was in front of the door then did a quick check of the windows. Once he was sure they were safe in their cabin he turned on Beth.

"What the hell was that out there Beth? I told you to get inside!" He couldn't stop the flood of anger that hit him. She could have gotten herself killed.

"I couldn't leave you out there."

"I would have been fine. I'm not your problem."

Beth moved so she was right in front of Daryl, "You sure didn't look fine on the ground under that walker trying to kill you and the other two ready to take a bite. Stop pretending like you never need help."

"You could have gotten hurt or killed!" he practically screamed in her face.

"I'm not your problem either," she spat back at him. She looked wild with her hair tangled and loose around her face. He could see anger flash in her blue eyes as she looked up at him. She looked beautiful.

Before Daryl could stop himself he grabbed Beth and crushed her to him. His mouth found hers. Her lips were so soft under his. She was tense at first from the unexpected kiss, but quickly her lips were moving back against his. This close he could smell vanilla on her, even under the musk that came with living in the woods. Daryl could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he deepened the kiss. Her lips parted to allow him to explore.

Daryl felt on fire. The sound of the herd outside was drowned out by their rapid breathing. Beth surprised him by reaching up and grabbing two handfuls of his hair and pulling him down closer to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her even closer to him causing her to let out a small moan.

Finally Daryl pulled back and looked down at Beth. Her lips were bright red from his assault on them and her eyes were wide and bright. He couldn't think of any of the reasons this wouldn't work or it was wrong. His mind was taken over by Beth.

"Daryl," she whispered up at him then leaned in to kiss him again.

"I'm not your problem either," she was furious. She couldn't have left him out there by himself. She needed him too much. He was becoming more important than just someone to save her.

Suddenly Daryl's lips were on hers. She froze looking at him wide eyed as he pulled her close. His lips were rough, but he was patient at first, waiting for her to respond. She pulled her eyes shot and returned the kiss. The smell of Daryl filled her senses, whiskey, smoke, and musk, it was perfect.

She parted her lips and he quickly noticed and his tongue was in her mouth all at once. She reached up and grabbed two handfuls of his hair. His hair was so soft and she ran her fingers through it a couple of times as he put his hands around her waist and pulled her close.

Every nerve ending in her body was exploding and she moaned into him. Her whole world felt like it was spinning. She was kissing Daryl Dixon.

He broke this kiss and she looked up at him. She was suddenly self-conscious. Did he just kiss her because of the adrenaline of the moment or was there really something there? She knew the kiss had made her feel alive, but was it just because of her inexperience or that it was Daryl?

"Daryl," she struggled to get it out at barely a whisper and leaned in to kiss him, more gently than before, before she lost her nerve.

He pushed her backwards on to the bed and hovered over her. She could tell he was being careful not to drop all of his body weight on her at once, but she could still feel all of him holding her on to the bed. He reached down and slid a hand up under her shirt brushing her belly. His rough hands running up her sides sent a shiver up her sides. His lips left hers and he ran soft kisses down the side of her neck to her shoulder where he nipped.

His hands ran lower and started to explore at the waist band of her jeans.

"Wait Daryl," suddenly she was nervous. She hadn't gone this far with a man before. Most of her encounters were sloppy with teenage boys who didn't have a clue. Daryl moved with a comfort that assured her he knew exactly what he was doing and where this would lead if she didn't slow them down.

He stopped instantly and started to roll away from her. She grabbed on to his arms to keep him from going.

"That's not what I meant. I just need you to slow down a little," Beth felt herself start to blush so she leaned back in for another kiss before Daryl could see her face turn red.


End file.
